The present invention relates to an application user interface. More specifically, the present invention relates to the navigation through an application over a user interface.
Mobile devices are very well suited to use in clinical environments because of their portability and computing power in a small package. Indeed, mobile device usage with both phone and tablet form factors is increasing greatly.
Complex User Interfaces, such as those seen in Electronic Medical Records Software applications, are often full of disparate information, options, widgets and other elements that compete for the user's attention at a given time. In the clinical setting there are many situations in which the clinician makes decisions that would have very serious safety ramifications if they made the wrong decision. There are similarly many decision points in medical software where the clinician is executing an action. Errors may be made in the medical field (or in other applications) that are due to “screen clutter” or the inclusion of distracting information within a user interface.
Currently, applications place most of the onus on the user to actively change screen elements to limit distractions, or provide no way at all of allowing the user to mute competing information. This may be accomplished in these systems by allowing the user to zoom in on a certain area of the UI manually, using a finger gesture or selecting the zooming function from a menu.
Additionally, in an effort to reduce error or reduce screen clutter, UI designers and information architects may ‘bury’ items in ever deeper menu structures to ensure that options, lists, and other information sources do not overwhelm the user in the UI.
Another element currently used to direct attention includes use of windows, e.g., opening a new window against a grey-scaled background. This element, though, requires a “state change” and reduces the user's situational awareness while adding additional clicks/steps for the user to accomplish their goal.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved method for interacting with a mobile device. This and other needs are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.